by Alex Castelino
Daijiworld Media Network - Doha
Doha, Sep 9: The celebration of the feast of the birth of Our Lady has always been a uniting factor for the Konkani-speaking community in Doha-Qatar. Under the guidance of Fr Gaspar Fernandes, the spiritual caretaker of the Konkani community, and the leadership of the Holy Rosary Konkani Community Council having representatives from both Goa and Mangalore, the feast was celebrated at the church of Our Lady of the Rosary in Qatar. At 5.30 pm on Tuesday September 8, thousands of devotees gathered at the Church. The Holy mass in Konkani commenced with a candle light procession led by the Pirgintt, Alfred Sequeira and Murddom families of the feast.
The main celebrant of the mass was Fr Andrew Leo D’Souza, vicar of St Joseph’s Seminary, Mangalore, who was also the preacher during the feast novenas. Father Andrew, in his homily, preached the importance of having Mother Mary as our spiritual Mother and called upon each family to live the Christian values. The preaching during the nine days of the novena’s along with the healing session, was very much liked and appreciated by the community, as Fr Andrew reflected the life of Mary and the importance of the word of God in the life of a Christian.
Before the final prayers, Fr Peter P M, the newly appointed parish priest, conveyed his wishes to all those who had gathered for the celebration, which was followed by the vote of thanks by Ronnie Vaz. The newsletter of the Konkani Community, 'Ekvott', was released on the occasion by the parish priest. Eddie Sequeira, editor of the newsletter, was also present for the release.
After the final blessings, a birthday cake was cut, as the crowd happily sang the birthday song in honour of Mother Mary. Children showered flowers and the new corn was distributed to all those present, along with cake and juice. As the celebration ended, everybody was found to be busy, wishing each other ‘Bhagi Monthi Fest’. It was really a wonderful scene of brotherhood and sharing of common feelings.